The Knicks have reached an agreement with second-round pick Kevin McCullar on a two-way contract, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
The 23-year-old small forward out of Kansas was selected with the 56th pick in this year’s draft. He was held out of summer league due to a knee issue.
McCullar earned first-team All-Big 12 honors last season while averaging 18.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.1 assists as a super senior for the Jayhawks. In 2023, he was named to the Big 12 All-Defensive team and earned third-team all-conference honors. He played three seasons at Texas Tech before transferring to Kansas in 2022.
New York will have one two-way opening left after McCullar’s deal becomes official. Ariel Hukporti is also on a two-way contract with the Knicks.
McCullar is among a handful of 2024 draft picks who are without a contract. Utah’s Kyle Filipowski, Atlanta’s Nikola Djurisic, Indiana’s Enrique Freeman and Golden State’s Quinten Post remain unsigned.
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Knicks’ promising rookie guard may not crack rotation next season
Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
The New York Knicks are a deep team as presently constructed. So deep, that their standout No. 34 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft may not see much playing time, if any, in 2024-25.
Knicks rookie point guard Tyler Kolek showed out at Summer League and had many propping him up to be a viable backup floor general behind All-Star Jalen Brunson. Then, the Knicks added Cam Payne in addition to several other game-changing moves they executed this offseason. Thus, what was once a thin depth chart at the one is now a fortified unit that will be pivotal in the Knicks’ playoff chase. Will Kolek be positioned to have something to show for once the upcoming campaign concludes?
NBA writer outlined Tyler Kolek’s path to earning a spot in the Knicks’ rotation
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New York Knicks
Knicks’ promising rookie guard may not crack rotation next season
Matthew Legros
August 5, 2024
Tyler Kolek, Knicks
Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
The New York Knicks are a deep team as presently constructed. So deep, that their standout No. 34 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft may not see much playing time, if any, in 2024-25.
Knicks rookie point guard Tyler Kolek showed out at Summer League and had many propping him up to be a viable backup floor general behind All-Star Jalen Brunson. Then, the Knicks added Cam Payne in addition to several other game-changing moves they executed this offseason. Thus, what was once a thin depth chart at the one is now a fortified unit that will be pivotal in the Knicks’ playoff chase. Will Kolek be positioned to have something to show for once the upcoming campaign concludes?
NBA writer outlined Tyler Kolek’s path to earning a spot in the Knicks’ rotation
NCAA Basketball: NCAA Tournament South Regional-NC State vs Marquette, tyler kolek, knicks
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley had this to say about Kolek’s prospects to get considerable burn in the upcoming campaign (h/t Jeremy Brener of New York Knicks on SI).
“Even running with a nine-man rotation will leave some capable contributors out in the cold. Three of those bench spots would go to Josh Hart, Donte DiVincenzo and probably Miles McBride (though there’s plenty congestion at point guard). A fourth would belong to whichever backup big New York signs to support oft-injured starter Mitchell Robinson,” Buckley wrote “You know who doesn’t get floor time in that scenario? Tyler Kolek, whom the Knicks traded up to get at No. 34, for one. He is one of the more polished prospects in this rookie class, and he looked the part at summer league. Still, if there are only nine openings, he’d have to unseat McBride to claim one.”
Kolek will have his work cut out for him in competition for a lineup spot
DiVincenzo and Hart are the only two reserves whose spots in the rotation are immovable. Payne is the presumed backup for Brunson but Kolek could challenge him for that spot. However, as Buckley pointed out, McBride is also coming off of a career season last year and with his 41 percent clip from deep, he has done more than enough to see a similar role in Thibodeau’s rotation in 2024-25.
Those are the two biggest threats to Kolek’s potential playing time, but he’ll also have to compete with Chuma Okeke and Keita Bates Diop just to sit on the Knicks’ bench next season. If New York ceases to alter their roster, their lineup could look like this: PG: Jalen Brunson, SG: Mikal Bridges, SF: OG Anunoby, PF: Julius Randle, C: Mitchell Robinson, Bench: Miles McBride, Donte DiVincenzo, Josh Hart, Keita Bates-Diop, Precious Achiuwa, Reserves: Jericho Sims, Cam Payne.
